This blog post is in direct correlation to last Sunday’s sermon on “Connect | Grow | Serve.” Forgive the length of this, but there is much we wish to convey and unpack for you all. This post is neither a warning, or a reprimand, but rather a means in which to convey the church’s expectations of the members. To God be the praise and glory.
It is the desire of North Bullitt Christian Church’s leadership that members will CONNECT with one another, GROW deeper with other members and with the Lord, and SERVE in the church. These three factors, working in tandem, bring God the most glory. Each of these three actions allow for deeper, spiritual growth to happen, as well as a deeper love for the Church and the Lord.
Connect
There is no greater time to stay connected to one another than in this current time. With the shutdowns, lockdowns, and quarantines affecting people across the country, many of us have become disconnected with the Church and those around us. Now more than ever we must stay in community with fellow believers in order to not feel isolated in this life. All throughout Scripture, we see clearly that authentic ministry and service is conducted with fellow members. Paul, on each missionary journey, brought along a companion. Jesus traveled with twelve other men for His entire ministry. The early church sent people out in groups to serve and meet needs. You almost cannot read a single passage in Acts without coming across an instance where someone is not connected to someone else! Surely this proves the dire need to be connecting with other believers.
Here at North Bullitt, we have a multitude of ways for members to be connected with one another. The Sunday worship gathering at 9AM and 11AM is the best opportunity to do so. Outside of this, we have our weekly, Wednesday night fellowship meal at 5:45PM for members to sit down, eat food, and reconnect in the middle of the week. Lastly, with a focus on new or prospective members of the church, we offer a once a month “Get Connected” meeting where we sit down with families and discuss all the “ins-and-outs” of NBCC and help answer questions. While the focus is on new and prospective members, we highly encourage all members to attend these meetings to keep in touch with the church.
Grow
I once read a quote where a pastor said, “saying ‘I love Jesus, but do not want to go to church,’ is essentially saying, ‘I want a spouse, but I have no desire to learn anything about him or her.’” Wow! If we truly are loving Jesus, we ought to be growing and deepening our faith and understanding of Him! Look at your husband or wife, think about how much you know that person. You are the one who knows the most about them. Shouldn’t Christians also be that way towards God? Should we not desire to learn more about Him and be able to tell others when prompted? A Christian must constantly be growing in his or her relationship with Christ. You cannot stay a “spiritual baby” forever. Andrew Murray, author of Absolute Surrender, when comparing being a baby and being a spiritual infant, said, “You see, babyhood at the proper time is the most beautiful thing in the world, but babyhood continued too long is a burden and a sorrow, a sign of disease. And that is the state of many Christians today. They continue as babes” (Murray p.26). Murray argues that seeing a baby at four months old is beautiful, but returning three years later to find the baby not grown at all would be unnatural, odd, and worrisome to the parents. The same applies to us. We must be growing in our knowledge and understanding of Jesus. We must mature.
Many people do this in their own unique ways, but we offer many outlets for members to come together and grow in their relationship with the Lord. Every Sunday we offer Sunday School classes at 10AM in the main auditorium, and immediately following our fellowship meal on Wednesdays, at 6:45, we have discipleship classes. But perhaps the most crucial of all, are our community groups. These are small groups that allow members to grow deeper in Christ, while also deepening their relationships with those in their group. These are special times for members to come together and learn more about Christ.
Serve
Lastly, serving the local church is of the utmost importance. Read the first half of Acts, and notice how the early church was quick to serve without even being asked! God has gifted each person with unique and special gifts to be used for His glory. One of the many outlets for these gifts to be used is with the local church. Read carefully Romans 12:3-8 and notice Paul’s commission to the Church. Begin to look for ways to serve the Lord with your gifts.
As mentioned in service last week, our church has “members who do too much, and members who do not do enough.” We are in constant need of service here in the church. Whether it be volunteering in our nursery, youth ministry, or children’s ministry, or mowing the grass, or even cleaning up the auditorium after worship, we need members to step up to the call of service in the church. If you are looking to serve now, here are some areas that are in need of help: running the slides during service, creating graphics for the church, typing sermons into the powerpoint, anything on the technical side (sound, lights, etc…), and partnering with the church in our continued work with ALC, Mark12 Ministries, and Sunrise Children Services. If you are blessed with artistic gifts, please reach out to the church also, there is a need for you too!
A Call to Action
The purpose of this post is not to bear down on you, or to wag our finger in frustration. Rather, it is a call to action to members within our church. God has commanded more from His children than to just attend a Sunday gathering. We love and cherish each of our members here, and we desire for God to work powerfully and generously through each of you. Begin to pray and seek wisdom from the Lord in how you can connect, grow, and serve within the context that God has called you, and in the context of North Bullitt Christian Church. To God be the glory!
North Bullitt Christian Church 